DIALOGUE CAN END VIOLENCE – TUCOSWA

MBABANE – The Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), the mother body of trade unions which represents the country’s workforce, has reacted to the Prime Minister, Cleopas Sipho Dlamini’s statement on the much envisaged national dialogue.

The PM recently said the dialogue was being delayed by violence. In fact, the union said it was illogical for government to say the alleged violence delayed the dialogue - while many other government sponsored activities were announced and were proceeding smoothly.  The workers’ organisation is of the view that the envisaged dialogue is in actual fact intended to resolve the violence. As a follow-up to the prime minister’s statement, this newspaper sought the organisation’s view on unions’ feelings and stand, taking into consideration that many people, especially the working class, still had grievances, hence they were most likely to continue staging protests actions which according to past experiences, ended up in violence.

Report

The premier, in his presentation of Public Service Office and Cabinet’s quarterly performance report, said it was time to stop the violence that had been going on in the country.
He said the violence and the killings were only derailing government’s plan to host the much envisaged national event. “Our view is that the envisaged dialogue is in actual fact intended to resolve the violence. It follows in our view that it can only be the dialogue that can resolve the violence,” was the response by TUCOSWA Secretary General Mduduzi Gina yesterday.
He said it was important that the political dialogue be convened in haste as workers’ rights and the general public’s freedom was suppressed under the veil of an alleged toxic political environment. Gina added: “Fundamental rights and freedoms of workers including that of assembly, are currently banned. “This is causing unnecessary tension in the labour sphere as workers cannot practise their constitutional rights to petition their employers and the government in their state capacity.”

Players

The secretary general called upon government to honestly consider engaging all political players in an attempt to resolve the political conflict affecting the country. He said it was at such times that the acumen of political leadership was measured. Meanwhile, the Political Party Assembly, through the voice of its Chairperson Sibongile Mazibuko, is on record as having said the premier’s recollection of events where violence was cited, burning of structures inclusive, was not accurate. She blamed government for employing delaying tactics to stall the dialogue process. Chairman of  MSF Thulani Maseko, in a recent interview with our sister newspaper, Times of Eswatini Sunday, on another hand, said if the dialogue was held immediately, there would be no reason for some people to use violence.

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